The Sun. — London, England, 1864-12-08 00:00:00

.ffaval and Military Intelligence. Jn the occasion of the visit of the Duke of Sod merset and the other Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty to the dockyard and naval establish• ments at Chatham, on Tuesday, they, before leaving the port, spent some time in the inspection of the extensive works which have been for some years past in progress in the vicinity of the dockyard for the enlargement and extension of the Royal Marine establishment. The members of the Board, who were conducted over the works by Mr Rivers, the head of the department of Admiralty works at Chatham, first inspected that portion of the dock. yard which is proposed to form the site of an ex. tensive range of buildings on which will be erected officers' quarters, offices, and drill rooms for the Royal Marine division, and will form, in fact, a continuation of the present barrack buildings. The space which has already been marked out for the site of the new buildings includes rather more than an acre of the dockyard, and will render the red moval necessary of some portion of the buildings used in the rope-making department, as well as a part of the master painter's stores. The official residence of the master ropemaker, which formerly stood on the same spot, has been taken down and re -erected in another portion of the dockyard. It is also intended to take in a portion of the road leading to the dockyard, used by the public for some years past, which will add about half an acre to the space previously appropriated. The most important of the alterations in progress, however, are those connected with the erection of the new wing to the existing barracks, - by which additional quarters have been obtained for several hundred men, thus doing away with the necessity which had for some time existed of quartering a portion of the Royal Marines with the troops of the line in Chatham Barracks. Their Lordships inspected this portion of the Royal Marine esta blishment with much attention, and afters wards went through the buildings at the extreme western end, which are now in course of erection, and which are to be used as the grand division add jutant's and paymaster's offices. The block of build ings hitherto used as field-officers' quarters, as well as the quarters for the subalterns, will be taken down, and the additional space thus obtained thrown into the barrack-square and parade-ground. The en- . tire work, which has been already two years in hand, will be completed before the end of the en suing financial year, the Lords of the Admiralty having decided that the whole of the undertaking shall be proceeded with without intermission. An order has been received at Chatham directing one of the vessels attached to the sailing reserve at that port to be brought forward as a flagship at Woolwich to take the place of the Fisgard, 42. The vessel selected is to undergo the necessary repairs to adapt her for the service for which she is intended. The screw corvette Cadmus, 21, 400 horsepower, will leave her moorings at Chatham dockyard to day, and steam down the harbour, in readiness to make her official trial of speed at the Maplin Sands to-morrow, should the weather prove favourable. The Fox, screw frigate transport, arrived at Spite head yesterday from the Thames, and after receiv ing on board Staff Commander Moriarty (late of her Majesty's ship Marlborough), her future com mander, she resumed her voyage for Devonport and other western ports - at 4 p.m. The Royal Sovereign, turret ship, was yesterday brought down from her moorings in mid-stream in the upper part of Portsmouth harbour, and again - placed at her old berth alongside Portsmouth dock yard. This course has been adopted to enable the dockyard authorities to complete the required alterae lions to the ship's fittings on the upper deck about the middle of January—the stipulated time—it having been found impossible to carry on the work satisfactorily with the ship lying at so great a dis tance from the dockyard as her late mooring berth. Sir William Armstrong visited the ship a few days since, and made some remarks upon the necessity of eubstituting iron gun-carriages for the present wooden ones. It i.e open to question, however, whether it is quite desirable to do this at present. 'Me wocden carriages now in the turrets of the Royal Sovereign are undoubtedly warped to a cer. tain extent, but at the same time not sufficiently to interfere with the practice of the guns in the remotest degree, while they have every appearance of remaining tfficient and lasting as long as the guns themselves. In the meantime, the Prince Albert, Wyvern, and Scorpion turret ships are waiting for the new wroughteiron carriages which the authorities profess their intention to provide for turret ordnance. The time, however, when these carriages will be ready for delivery is not stated. The Warrior iron frigate remains in her berth alongside Portsmouth dockyard, Igniting a rhanop to be docked and prepared for the first division of the Steam Reserve. Her machinery and boilers are undergoing the usual over4ul at the hands of the steam factory officials, 10 is customary on a ship being paid out of commission. It is almost needless to say that her engines are in excellent condition, considering the amount of work they have done since the ship started on her first trip under steam from the Thames to Spithead. The boilers necessarily show the E ffecta of work in a more decided manner than the engines, but their deterioration has not at all reached the point anti. uipated. They have been drilled through in innu merable places. Her funnels are, as a matter of course, worn out, and must be replaced with new ones. Whether the boilers will now be removed from the ship and thoroughly repaired on shore, or whether they will be patched up on board, of course rests with the authorities. The most probable course is that new boilers will replace the present ones on board, so that the latter may be thoroughly examined and repaired at leisure on shore. Tne Admiralty appear as yet to have arrived at no decision as to the course they will pursue with the ship in preparing her for re commission. There are two courses open. The ship may be refitted in her present form, or her plating may be continued all round. The first course would preserve to the ship all her present unequalled ex cellencies in point of speed, seaworthiness, and ven tilation—while the other course would most pro bably deprive her of them. If the ship is plated all round, her figurehead, cutwater, quarter galleries, Sz.c., would of necessity be removed—but if the ship was not opened out in her frame she would have a much deeper immersion than at present, and would therefore carry her portsils much nearer the water line. The ship's armour plating at present amounts to, as near as possible, 1,876 tons, including her athwart ship armoured bulkheads. If the ship is plated all round and deduction is made for the weight of the armoured bulkheads, which, under such circumstances, would be removed, the total weight of her armour would amount to 2,421 tons. The 'Warrior has, however, so well represented the nation as its first ironclad that the Admiralty would be chary of attempting to " improve "her. With a poop on her quarter deck the Warrior would make an unexceptionable flagship for the Mediterranean, while her ventilation and sweetness of atmosphere between decks is superior to that of any wooden or wooden ironclad ship in her Majesty's navy. The Hector, iron frigate, Capt. Preedy, C.B, is re fitting alongside Portsmouth dockyard. Part of the crew are employed in scraping the ship clean esters flatly from the watersline, this gives an opportunity for inspecting the armour-plating, which appears to be as perfect and rigid in every part as when she was first bro ug h t round to Portsmouth from her builder's yard on the Clyde. The crew of the Hector are stated to be in a most unexceptionable state of dis • cipline. It is rumoured that Capt Preedy is about to receive another appointment in the command of one of the Coastguard ships. Adva n tage was yesterday taken by Major-Gen. sir I. Waipole, K.G.13,, of th e favourable weather to hold a fieid.day of the available forces under his command at Chatham garrison. The troops, inc;ud irg the whole of the corps now quartered at Chat ham, assembled on the Great Lines at 10 o'clock a.m., in heavy marching order, and on the arrival of Major-General were put through an extended course of brigade a n d o th er m ovements Incidental to a field day, returning to their quarters shortly after noon. Col. Dickson, of the 16th Lancers—Lieut. Col. Chads, of the 64th—Capt. the Hon. H. M. Hobart, of the 63d—and other officers have rejoined the gar rison at Colchester from leave of absence, &c., during the past week. Col. A. J. Taylor, Inspector General of Artillery, has just completed his half yearly inspection of the Coast Brigade at Harwich, Colchester, Ipswich, Languard Fort, and other stations in the eastern district, Th 3 Rt- v. C. Wool.. lett has been appointed Roman Catholic chaplain at Colchester pending the arrival of the Rev. Mr Virtue from Bermuda. Lieut. Hawley, of the Ist battalion, 6th Regiment, and Lieut. Parkerson, of the 82d, are under orders to join the service companies of their respective corps. Detachments of the 4th, 9th, and 10th depot battalions have during the past week proceeded from Colchester to Languard Fort, and others have returned to Colchester from that station. The rifles in the possession of the troops at Colches ter, Languard Fort, and Harwich have just been examined by a viewer from the War Department. Cwt. Klerker, attache to the Swedish Legation in London, on Tuesday, made an inspection of the manufacturing departments of 'Woolwich Arsenal, on behalf of his Governments Having visited the Laboratory and carriage departments, he in. spected the Royal gun factories, where he was shown the process of manufacture of a couple of experimental guns recently commenced, from plans submitted by Mr Frazer, manager of the factories. These guns, it is stated, are being made of a less costly material andconstruction, differing materially from those now in use, end are to be built up of coils of extraordinary strength and capacity. The project is considered of importance, and should the experiments prove successful, the result will create a manufacturing and financial triumph for the Go. vernment. It is considered that the coat will be about half that of the present gun. The examination of candidates for promotion at Chatham dockyard will commence today. The examination of candidates for admission to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, which com. menced on Thursday last, at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, before the Vice-President and other mem. bers of the Council of Military Education, termi nated yesterday. There were upwards of 140 candidates. The next examination of candidates for admission to the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich, before the Council of Military Education, is to take place on Monday, the 2d of the ensuing month, at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea, and will extend over 15 days, ending on Wednesday, the 18th. The following appointments and promotions were made yesterday at the Admiralty :—Commander A, W. Gillett, to the Achilles—E. G. Ashworth, engineer, to the Cumberland for the Chasseur—W. Dark, engineer, to the Cumberland for the Fearless —T, H. Kitto, of the Defence, G. F. Sutton, of the Cumberland, H. Huil, of the Indus, and W. Totten ham, of the Royal Oak, promoted to be engineers— J. Gordon, of the Curlew, F. W. Robinson, of the Triton, W. Chase, of the Euryalus, T. Gray, of the Sutlej, W. Harwood, of the Esk, and W. B. Cottam, of the Leander, promoted to be acting• engineers. Cotton Supply Association, At the usual meeting of the executive committee, held on Tuesday, Dec. G, a letter was read from Rio Grande, stating that some Egyptian seed sent out by the association had produced plants 10 or 12 feet high. It is expected this will be found the most profitable to cultivate, but other experiments are in progress, the results of which will be communicated. Some brown cotton grown in the district, it is thought, might be made available for mixing with Vacuna wool, which it resembles. It is used for making striped or checked cloth ; the colour is fast, and never changes. A letter was received from Lima, requesting Egyptian, Sea Island, and Up land seed, and stating that great:solicitude is felt to produce the best qualities of cotton. A letter from Yanco, Porto Rico, describes the plantations as pre. senting a satisfactory appearance, although some injury has been sustained from rains and the ravages of a worm. A letter was read from the President of the Turk's Islands, accompanying four specimens of cotton grown at East Caicos, and re• porting that increased facilities of tran3part are not afforded by the establishment of steam communica tion by the West India and Pacific line of steamers between the colony and Liverpool. A sample of cotton was received, grown from &a Island seed in the Crimea by a landed proprietor who has been very successful in his efforts to cultivate cotton. He sent samples to the ALscow show which sure passed those exhibited from the Caucasus. Samples of cotton from Belize, British Honduras, and one from Natal grown from Egyptian seed, were sub. witted for examination. Consular reports were re ceived from the Foreigneoffice on the cultivation of cotton in Servia, Rio Grande de Sol, Guatemala, Z An2lbar. Lima, nouolutu, Port au Tampico and Jaffa. This is the first year cotton lies been tried in Scrvia, and, as this summer is represented to have been the coldest and wettest known during the last 20 years, it is difficult to decide with out further experiments whether cotton will succeed or not. The variableness of the climate is a serious drawback. The largest and most promising crop on an island on the Bulgarian frontier was destroyed by a flood. From Rio Grande de Sul it is reported that ono of the merchants had purchased a conside rable quantity of land for the purpose of growing cotton, and having procured labourers from Scotland he is determined to try the experiment, and seems likely to succeed. The result of his efforts will in due time be communicated. Her Majesty's Conseil at Guatemala has not yet been successful in obtaining the required information respecting the cultivation of cotton ; but he reports that it is general in all the republics of Guatemala, and e yen in all Central Ame rica. The plant thrives well in all parts, and up to the present time no fears have been entertained of any injury to the crops; but, on the contrary, an abundant harvest is expected, and of good quality. In Z inzibar a little cotton of a good description is grown to the north, and European influence has been exerted to obtain a supply thence, but East Africa, north at least of the Portuguese possessions, has never. been a cotton producing country, and there is but little prospect of any material change occurring. Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires and Consul. General at Lima, in forwarding reports from official and private parties, states that there is no doubt that Peru offers great natural facilities for the cultivation of most excellent cotton, whiCh would become a most important article of export if the cotton growers had access to capital to enable them to procure the requisite labour. The climate is be nignant for a tropical country, and the absence of rain and heavy showers in many parts is also a spe cial recommendation. Irrigation is practicable, and during the winter months there are fine mists that freshen and promote vegetable growth. in the.pro province of Ica there were 4,800 acres planted in 1863, and 24,000 acrea in 1864, and the produce which in the former years was 18,000 quintals, of 100 lb. Spanish each, is expected this year to amount to 90,000 quintals ; everything indicates a larger increase next year. There is an immense field in this province for cotton cultivation, and the Peru vian Government would do well to encourage emigration, and to give grants of new lands at a reasonable and advantageous rate. Ia the depart ment of Piura every one owning land has been in duced to grow cotton in preference to anything else, and there will doubtless be a considerable increase. The Georgia seed, introduced a c oup l e o f years ago by an English gentleman owning a cot. ton estate, irrigated by steam pumps, has proved much less subject to blights than the native plants. It yields a crop in less time, and will no doubt be generally adopted throughout the province. The cotton has been euvin at all seasons throughout the year, and the yield and quality are found to be in. variably the same. The Vice. Consul at Erica reports that an increased area has been planted with cotton in th e va ll e y s i n the department of Moqueg ua , Peru, and that the produce which in 1863 was 120,0001 b. Will, it is estimated, this year be 2410,0001 b. The crops are healthy, and promise an abundant yield. The want of capital is a great drawback ; land is to be had at a low rate, and it is thought that a company purchasing land and c ultivating cotton in th e va l ley of S ame wou ld o b. twin ample returns. On the estate of San Jacinto, valley of Napena, province of Santa, 320 acres have been planted, and the produce is expected to be 70,0001 b. of cotton. On an estate in Canete cotton planting has been established, and 600 quintals have been produced this year of excellent quality. Others are commencing, and he is confident that great progress will be made. Very fine samples of the cotton have been forwarded. Her Ma. jesty's Consul-General at Honolulu reports that no cotton is cultivated in the Hawaiian Islands, agriculturists being almost entirely devoted to sugar. A few experiments have been made, the results of which show that the soil and climate are suited to the growth of cotton, and it is regretted therefore that the cultivation on an adequate scale has never been attempted. Her Majesty's Charge d'Affaires at Port an Prince reports that 9,000 acres were planted with cotton in Hayti in 1863, and 15,000 acres in 1864, and that the produce which in the former year was 2,400,0001 b, is expected to be 3,360,0001 b this year. During the last four years the cultivation has rapidly extended even into dis. tricts where it was formerly unknown. Some at. tempts have been made to grow cotton on an eaten. sivescale ; but as a rule the crop has been furnished by the peasantry, who plant small fields near their cottage and obtain the aid of their neighbours when the cotton is ready for picking. No wages are paid, but assistance is rendered in return, and in some oases a moiety of the crop is demanded by the owners of property in lieu of rent for their land. Want of labour is complained of, and the noncom. pletion of the system of artificial irrigation cora• menced by the Government. Her Majesty's Consul at Tampico reports that no one in that part of the country has ever directed his attention to the culti vation of cotton, and that the only cotton grown in Mexico up to the present time is in the department of Vera Cruz, and on the Rest coast. The soil and climate of this district are in every way adapted to its cultivation, and the only drawback which exists is the difficulty of commanding labour. Her Ma. jesty's Consul at Jaffa reports that the new crop has begun to come to market, and that the yield is good. The price had suddenly fallen 100 per cent., owing partly to intelligence from Liverpool and Marseilles, and the belief in some cases that the yield of cot. ton all over the world will be above the consump tion, together with the largo quantity on hand. Nevertheless those who have money have bought all they could at reduced prices, in the full belief that cotton would before long advance in value. A circular was received from the Foreign Office stete ing that the ratifications of the treaty of commerce between France and Switzerland have been ex changed, and annexing the provisions of the tariff as regards the duty ou the export of rags from France. A letter was read, advising the arrival of samples of cotton from a large district in the Pun jab, grown from fresh American seed, from Egyp. Lion seed, and from the indigenous seed of the dis. trict. They have been forwarded by the deputy commissioner of the Goozerat district in the Pun jab, who is now in England, and who has made praiseworthy and successful exertions to extend and improve the cultivation of cotton in India. He returns next summer, and intends to renew his labours. A letter was read stating it to be the in tention of the Turkish Government to promote the extensive use of American seed during the next sowing season. A grant of seed was made to an intending emigrant to Queensland, who is about to devote himself to cotton cultivation in that colony, which concluded the business. THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 8, 1864. The Loss of the Stanley. SHIELDS, Dec, 7, The Board of Trade inquiry into the loss of the steamship Stanley is continued in the Town-hall of North Shields by Mr Alderman Joseph Spence and Mr A. S. Stevenson, borough magistrates, and Captain Harris and Captain Baker, nautical assessors. Mr Hamel appeared for the Board of Trade; Mr George Kewney watches the case for Mr Thomas Howling, the master, and Mr Crawford for Mr John Main, the mate of the Stanley. Only two witnesses were ex mined yesterday, the mate, Mr John Main, and the second mate, Mr James Kemp. Mr Main's evidence at the coroner's inquest, reported in The Sun of the Ist inst., was in substance the same as that he:gave at this inquiry, In reply to questions put to him to day he said,—l was brought up in the coasting trade, and , I have acted as master of the Pharos steamer and the Fairy schooner. Prior to that I was in the Lifeguard. The Stanley had her engines placed about 70 feet from the stern. The Lifeguard's would be further aft. She loads according to the draught of water, Usually she goes a good deal by the stern. Screws always require to be loaded by the stern. The effect this has upon the ship when she is ruunin3. before the wind and sea is that it makes her stern lower. I found, when running before the wind and sea that she steered readily when she was so loaded. She yawed a bit, but steered easily. She required to be very quickly watched. I do. not hold a certificate from the Board of Trade or any pilotage authority here for piloting my own vessel. The master was not acquainted «ith the pilotage of the Tyne that I know of. I said I would do my best to take the ship in. I volunteered, relying upon my local knowledge. When we crossed the bar there was a strong wind from E.S.E. The atmosphere was quite clear. We-could not see the lighthouse when we oroaocil cue oar nor me leading lights. We could see ahead 200 or 300 yards. There is not a fair way buoy laid clown between the buoy at the North Pier and that at the South Pier. The leading marks ought to bear W. half N. when crossing the bar. I knew of my own knowledge that that was the best water. I did not keep our lead going in crossing the bar. The lead was not used at all. I did not hear any precautionary orders given by the master to the man at the wheel when the sea struck the vessel. I heard the master tell him to keep the helm astar board before this happened. The helm was ordered astar board before the sea struck her, and hard astarboard after it struck her. Supposing this calamity had not taken place I intended to anchor inside of the Low Lights. 'We ex pected to find a pilot shortly after we got over the bar. The usual place is sometimes abreast the Black Middens, and sometimes a little further in if the weather is bad. I know that the pilotage of the Tyne is compulsory for passenger boats. The jurisdiction extends over the bar. I have been in the habit of taking a pilot when in the temporary charge of the Pharos, but when there was any sea on we came in without one. In the pilotboat was outside the bay we took a pilot. If not we ran in without one. After the ship parted she was in the same position as now. The lifeboat was out side of us. The vessel rolling and lurching so heavily was not the reason why the men would not take the rocket line to the masthead, I heard the crew and passengers all speaking together when the hawser came on board. I did not see the master at this time. He might have been there. I heard no orders given at the time for the hawser to bs fastened to the bitthead, and I gave none myself. Since I have been in this trade it is a common thing to carry cattle on deck in the winter months. When the vessel took the yaw when the sea struck her the ebb tide and the fresh that was then in the river would have the effect of forcing the ship upon the rocks, It was the deliberate opinion of myself and mas ter that it would be safer that night to run into the Tyne than to keep the sea. We thought it the best for all. Seeing another vessel going in we thought it prudent to go in. After having failed in getting a pilot it was safer to cross the bar without a pilot than to remain at sea. The master expressed his reluctance to cross the bar before the lights were lit. I said it was better to go in before the lights were lit, as the night was threatening. I said, if the master was going in, the sooner he went the better. 1 cannot say whether he could have kept out. The ship was making heavy weather of it, and hardly had steerage way. I don't think the ship would have been able to claw off if she had stayed out, That was owing to the heavy sea and wind ; there was more sea than wind, My opinion is that it' these leading lights into the harbour were always kept burning, with the present draught of water, it would tend to cause more accidents. Leading lights might be placed for the safe navigation of the channel. The same lights woull do if they had a coloured light to show the state of the tide. If those lights had been lit they would have led us in mid channel. I would suggest that they should always be kept burning after dark, with an additional tidal light. Ido not think a pilot could have come off to us when we fired the rockets. If that lifeboat of ours had been lowered safely into the water I' think she might have reached the shore. We expected to find the pilot tugboat outside the bar, and if she could not have put a pilot on board, she would have led the way in. Mr Kewney said the Tyne ships have their own pilots, and the other pilots do not go off to them if they think they have their own pilots on board. I believe it was the case in this instance. James Kemp, second mate of the Stanley, was then ex amined. his evidence in chief was substantially the same as that of the mate. He sail—l heard the captain give orders to have the hawser taken to the masthead. I cannot state that I heard him say, "It is no use fastening it so low down." I heard the captain cry two or three times for them to take it higher up. I did not hear him request them to take it half-mast high, if they would not take it to the mast head. When the captain said that they did not give him any reason why they slid not do so. I have given my own reason—that I thought the hawser was hauling away from Ile, and that it could not be t tko'n to the mast-head. That is the only reason I had. I rather think it was impossible for it to have been got up to the mast-head at the time. The Court is proceeding with the examination of seamen belonging to the steamer this morning, - OUTBREAK AT PORTLAND.-WEYMOUTII, Dee. r 6. —Several hundred convicts have broken loose over Portland Island, and caused great excitement here, the military hay. ing been despatched to capture them. Owing to the prompt measures taken by the authorities the roported outbreak of convicts was quelled, The military are still there, ASSIZE INTELLIGENCE. NORTHERN CIRCUIT.—.MANCHESTER ) Dec. 7. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr. Justice Blackburn.) TRADES UNION OUTRAGE. William Slater, 25, and Holland Cheetham, 30, brick makers, were charged with having, at Reddish, on the 3d August, maliciously wounded Thomas Wild, with intent to do him grievous bodily harm. Mr Pope and Mr Addison for the prosecution ; Mr Ernest Jones and Mr Cottingham, for Slater; Mr Torr and Mr Edwards for Cheetham. Mr Pope said this was one of those cases connected with trade organisations, and it derived more importance from such a connexion than the mere fact of the assault would indicate. It appeared that a master brickmaker of the name of Meadows, carrying on business at Oldham, used a kind of hand machinery for pressing bricks. He accepted a con tract in the neighbourhood of Stockport, and to carry it out brought over some of his men and also his machinery for the pressing of bricks. These men belonged to a trade so ciety at Oldham, and they subiequently joined a trade so ciety that held its meetings in Stockport. The prisoners were members of the society, and held office in it. Iu con sequence of some unfortunate dispute, originating in the resistance offered by the society to the introduction of these brick machines, a strike took place amongst Mr Meadows' men. This strike lasted five or six weeks, The prosecutor, who was one of the turnouts, returned to his work before the termination of the strike, and the dreadful assault which was subsequently made upon him by a number of men em ployed in the same trade arose out of the fact of his thus set ting at defiance the rules of the trades union. On the even ing of the 2d August the prosecutor was for the first time put upon a night shift at the beck burning kiln. He went on duty about six o'clock, and the other men went away from their work, leaving him alone in the croft. About 12 o'clock he was awoke by a man, who spoke to him and asked to be allowed to lie down somewhere upon the cinders, as he was tired. The prosecutor assented, and then five men ap peared from concealment behind the office, and the men together inflicted upon him an assault of the most murderous character, and it was only by God's providence that the man's life was not sacrificed. The men beat him with large pieces of wood about the head and body, fracturing one arm, wounding a leg, and covering him with blood to such an extent that his life was despaired of. Once the poor fellow escaped from them, but his assailants came back and renewed the attack, finally leaving him with an expression from one of them, " There ; he'll burn no more," meaning more bricks. The prosecutor then managed to drag himself to his house, having entered which he became insensible. Outrages of this kind made one pause and fear lest our civi lisation had not prospered to the extent sometimes boasted of. Of the outrage itself there could be no doubt; the great question for the jury was as to whether the prisoners were amongst the men who committed it. The evidence upon this was that the prosecutor himself, at the time of the assault, recognised and swore to both of them. This was the only direct and positive testimony as to the identity of the men in the dock, although there were certain preli minary and accessory circumstances which connected them with the affair. Slater, in company with other men, waited upon Mr Meadows, and remonstrated with him on the employment of Wild. There was evidently, on the part of the society, a determination, if possible, to prevent Wild resuming his employment. On the afternoon pre ceding the outrage Slater came to the brick-croft where Cheetham was working, and conversed with him some time. The prosecutor recognised Slater as the man who came up to him at midnight, and asked to be allowed to sleep some where, and recognised clearly both Slater and Cheetham during the attack. Legs of carts were afterwards found, indicating that they had been used in the assault. The first witness for the prose.ution was Mr Thomas Meadows, brickmaker, who spoke to a contract to make bricks at Messrs Holdsworth's works at Reddish; to the turn-out of 26 men on account of the use a machine ;to the return of Wild end others before the strike terminated ; and to the interview Cheetham had with him (Mr Mea dows), promising that the turnouts should return to their work if Wild and his companions were discharged ; and to his refusal to adopt any such course. John Mulloy and John Cotterill, two lads employed as brick carriers in the croft, proved that on the 2d August they saw Slater go to the clayhole where Cheatham was working (some of the men having by this time returned to their work), and that both the prisoners conversed toges thcr for some time, Wild, the prosecutor, was subjected to a long cross-exa mination by Mr Jones and Mr Torr, but notlvng materially different to his examination in chief was elicited. The sub stance of his evidence was, that at midnight on Aug. 2, it being fine weather, Slater came to him in the brick-croft and asked to be allowed to lie down. While pointing out a place where he might lie, five other men came from be hind the office, headed by Cheetham. They said, " Where is this presser ?'' He replied that he did not know. Slater then pulled him on the ground, and Cheetham struck him with a heavy piece of wood across the eye. The other men were all the time striking him with heavy pieces of wood or kicking him. The men went away, but shortly came back and renewed the attack. Ho again recognised the prisoners amongst them. He cried out, and Cheetham swore at him and told him to hold his noise. He managed to crawl to his cottage, 300 yards off, and there became insensible. Before the men went away they said, " He'll burn no more." The prosecutor's wife spoke to the prostrate state in which her husband returned home. Police• constable John Smith stated that on the morn ing following the assault ho went to the prosecutor's. who gave him a description or the prasoncra and their names, and he went and apprehended them. Mr N. Ball, surgeon, Heaton Norris, said ho attended the prosecutor on the day after the assault. Ho was suf f.4.3g from a wound under the right eye, bruises on various parts of his body, a punctured wound upon his right arm, a fracture of the bone of his arm, a wound upon the left ship, a broken bone in the long finger of the right hand, and other injuries which placed his life in great danger. The cart log found on the ground by Wild' s wife might have in flicted the wounds. For five days his life was in danger, Inspector Richmond, of the county police, said ho took the prisoners to the bedside of the prosecutor on August 4, and the latter identified them at once, and positively. Witnesses were called for the defence. The jury retired, and in 20 minutes returned with a ver dict that Slater and Holland were guilty, and they were sentenced to 20 years' penal servitude. PRESENTMENT OP THE GRAND JURY. At the close of their duties this morning the grand jury made the following presentment -4' The grand jury of the county of Lancaster at the Manchester winter assizes for 1864 do hereby present that the prospect of public execu tions in Manchester consequent on the transfer of the assizes to Manchester, is to them a matter of great anxiety. The southern division of the co unty of Lancaster and adjacent portions of Cheshire and the West Fading of Yorkshire con. tain an aggregate population surrounding the city of Man chester much larger than is comprised in a district of similar scenes which took place at a r ecent execution in the reasonmetro yofLondon ; and looking to the to fear that public execu eptixootlneisns,titnshue:irgaornuacnnhddeisnjtguerrty seewheouclidt Probably be attended by assem blages of such a character as to be dangerous to the public peace, and beyond all ordinary powers of police control. The:grand jury therefore desire to convey to her Majesty's of their hope that measures Judges of ass i ze , th e ex pression may be taken for giving power forgtoovheorindmexenectUtthiornosugh h the ee Hundred of Salford, under pro per regulations, within the precincts of the gaol.--R. N. Philips, f o reman. Mr Justice Blackburn intimated that ho would forward the recommendation to the proper quarter. MIDLAND CIRC UIT—WARwIcK, Dec. 7. CROWN COURT. (Before Mr Baron Bramwell.) Lucy Thompson, a bridle stitcher, 20 years of ago, was indicted for killing her own child at Birmingham on the 14th of August by the a dministration of strychnine. The case was a melancholy one, the prisoner having been seduced and abandoned by a militiaman, after the latter had kept company with her for five years. The facts for the prosecution were almost entirely comprised in the prisoner's own version. She said—The people with whom I lodged turned me out b ecause I had no money, and they said I had batter go some w h ere else. I and the baby had not anywhere to go, nor anything to eat, nor had I any money to purchase anything. I w a lk ed about all one day, and could not get a place. I saw t h e child's father in the evening. I asked him to lend me Gd to pay for a night's lodgings for me and the baby, and his answer was " No." I told - him how I was situated, and ho told me I could do the best way I could. He then wont away, I went and sat in St. Paul's-church yard, in the Bull Ring, till 5 o'clock in the morning. A feeling came over me, my senses lett me, and I have no recollection of what took place till I found myself in the Moor-street police-station. It appeared from the evidence that she had spent one night in the open air, when, on the morning of Aug. 3, in a fit of despair at not being able to obtain work, she went to a chemist'es sh op i n Great Charles-street and purchased a packet of ver m i n powder. After adm i n i ster i ng it, afflicted by remorse, she went to her brother and told him what she had done. The child was taken by her to a surgeon's, but found to be dead, It was also deposed in evidence that when apprehended the prison said " I have done it, and must suffer for it." The jury found the prisoner guilty of committing wilful murder while in an unsound state of mind. The learned Judge said that she should therefore bo de tained duds); her Majesty's pleasure. NORFOLK CIRCUIT—LEICESTER, Dec. (13cfore Mr justice Mellor.) THE MURDER AT SYSTOL. Timothy Baum was charged on the coroner's inquest and also on an indictment, with the murder of his wife Jane and daughter Emma, Mr Inglesent prosecuted—Mr Metcalfe defended. The prisoner, on coming' into court said " I remember nothing of it." . A jury were empanelled to try whether he was in a state of mind to understand the proceedings. They found he was, and thereupon the prisoner was charged with the murder of his wife, Jane Baum, and pleaded not guilty. The facts, which were admitted, were as follows— The prisoner four or five years ago married Jane Shelton. He and her had since that time resided with her mother, Mrs Shelton. Prisoner and his wife lived perfectly happily together, and two children were born, one of which was named Emma, with the murder of whom prisoner was:also charged. A short time after his marriage the prisoner was ill and in low spirits. This illness passed off, and prisoner remained in his usual health till some three weeks ago. Ho then suffered from an inflammation of the eye, and was at tended by Mr Robinson. On Friday the 25th Mr Robinson saw him, and found him to be suffering from inflammation of the covering of the brain. He saw the prisoner twice that day, and at his last visit thought him feverish and nearly delirious. At 9 o'clock on that night Mrs Shelton came into the prisoner's room to give him some medicine, She found him and his wife in bed. He spoke to her. She then retired to bed, and was roused by a scream. On re entering the prisoner's room she found him standing up in his shirt and his wife lying in bed with her throat cut. The child by her side was wounded. The wife was dead, and the child died about three hours later. It was proved that both wife and child were killed by the prisoner with a clasp knife, which he had always wittaim. Evidence was given to show that the prisoner wished to destroy himself after killing his wife and child. Mr Robinson, who saw him immediately after the crime was committed, proved that ho was at the time of its commission delirious, and not in a state to be responsible for his acts, The surgeon of the gaol also gave evidence I hat the prisoner was, when committed to prison, in the condition of a person who had suffered from delirium. The jury, on those facts, returned a verdict of Not Guilty, on the grotmd of insanity, of the charge of murdering Jane Baum. No evidence was offered as to the murder of Emma Baum, and a formal verdict was given of Not Guilty. OXFORD CIRCUIT.—STAFFORD, Dec. 7. (Before Mr Justice Bylcs.) Geo. Johnson, 19, bootcloser, and Wm. Frost, 22, miner, were sentenced each to seven years' penal servitude for setting firo to three ricks of wheat, nine stacks of barley, and a quantity of other grain, in all 16 ricks. the property of Edwin Edwards, at the parish of Sheriffhales, on Oct. 27. The prisoners pleaded guilty, and said that they had committed the crime through want. Jas. Bullock, 21, and Wm. Moss, 17, both sweeps, also pleaded guilty to firing a stack of hay at Tillington, on Sept. 19, and wore sentenced, Bullock to seven, and Mos to five years' penal servitude. The Charge of Fraud against a Gentleman. Yestoraay Arthur Bootle Wilbraham, holding a commis sion in the Coldstream Guards, and residing at No. 46, Brook-street, appeared at tha Marlborough-street Police court, before Mr Tyrwhitt, to answer a summons charging him hith "unlawfully, by means of eortain false and frau dulent pretences, obtaining from Mr Charles F. Hancock, jeweller, of Bond-street, a pearl necklace and other jewel lery, value £l,lOO, with intent to dofeaud." Mr IL Giffard, instructed by Mr E. F, Davis, from the firm'ef Lawrence, Plows, and Boyer, appeared for the pro secution; and Mr Metcalfe, instructed by Mr Walters, of New-square, for the defence. The defendant having taken his place before the bar, Mr Tyrwhitt inquired if the complainant was present. Mr Giffard—l appear for Mr Hancock. I will tell the Court at once that this is my position—Last night, in the absence of Mr Hancock, Mrs Hancock being at home, some person came to Mr Hancock's house and paid the whole of the bill. I understand since that the jewels which were the subject of Mr Emanuel's charge have been tendered to him. I am therefore instructed by my client to withdraw the charge of fraud, and, if I can do so with propriety, to with draw from the prosecution. Mr Tyrwhitt—Your experience in these things must be greater than mine. I do not quite see how I can say you may withdraw in a case which has proceeded so far. Mr Metcalfe—No doubt the money has been paid. Be fore these proceedings were taken the jewels wore tendered to Mr Hancock and to Mr Emanuel, Mr Tyrwhitt—Never mind that. Mr Metcalf e— That, however, was the fact. Mr Tyrwhitt—The case put before me is, whether Mr Emanuel can be prevented from going to the sessions. I do not see what I have to do with that. Mr Metcalfe—Had the opportunity offered, we should have been prepared with undoubted evidence to show that Mr Wilbraham really intended to be married* to a lady of considerable property. I believe this turns out to be in correct; but certainly Mr Wilbraham believed at the time that the lady was in a position to pay for the jewels. Mr Wilbraham was misled that way. No doubt he did raise money on the jewels, but he intended to get the !ady ulti mately to pay for them. I hope therefore to be allowed to withdraw from the prosecution. I would beg to remind your worship that you expressed considerable doubts about the matter at the last examination, and but for the slight pressure exerted on the part of the prosecutor, you would perhaps not have held the defendant to bail. Mr Tyrwhitt—l certainly had a strong feeling on the merits of the prosecution, and I expressed myself openly on it. Perhaps I ought to have been more cautious in saying anything while pi oceedings were going on. I was afraid the strong feelings I entertained might induce me to overlook any mere point of law that might bo urged, and it was be cause I had expressed an opinion that I was induced to send the case for trial. But I have no power over the course of prosecution, The parties have entered into recognisances ) and they aro responsible for what is done further, Mr Giffard—They will withdraw. Mr Metcalio—Wo are in a position to prove that Mr Wilbraham was really about to be married, fm4 that the uonF , idoriable properly, f.t leant so the represented her citeunistances to Mr Wilbraham. Th jewels were de posited with Mr Morris for a temporary rposo only, the best proof of which is that he has since pai for them. This is also a strong proof that Mr Wilbraha hover intended fraud. Mr Tyrwhitt—Certainly bills for a larg r amount were taken from time to time from the defendan Mr Metcalfe—l trust therefore you wil allow my client to withdraw from the prosecution. Mr Tyrwhitt—l can do nothing. I atnVoscoes officii. I have no power now over Mr Emanuel's case: • Mr Metcalfe--There was no commitment in that case, Mr Nokes (tho chief clerk)—Tho depositions have been taken, and the parties have been bound over to prosecute. Mr Tyrwhitt—As a criminal lawyer you must know, better than I can tell you, whether you can or cannot estreat the recognisances at the sessions. Mr Metcalfe—You have not returned the recognisances. You have not cautioned the defendant before asking him for his answer to the charge. Mr Tyrwhitt—The defendant reserved his defence. The case came on upon summons, and it was not necessary to caution him. I cannot say I have authority over the recog nisances. The Quarter Sessions will be able to determ'ne the matter. Mr Mezealfo—You simply leave the matter where it was. Mr Tyrwhitt—That is the case. The second charge was then withdrawn. Clever Capture of Two Members of the Long Firm at Derby, A case of "Long Firm" swindling was brought before the Derby borough magistrates on Wednesday. It appears that on Tuesday last Mr Higginbottom, of the firm of Hig ginbottom and Thomson, silk manufacturers, Derby, applied to the magistrates for warrants against two parties who had obtained a quantity of silk from them under false pretences. The warrants were granted and placed in the hands of In spector Fearn and Detective Spibey. On Tuesday afternoon they proceeded to the Derby railway station, and there ap prehended a man who gave the name of Wm. Knowles, of Nottingham. They searched him, and in his pocket found the following telegram : " Mays, Birmingham, to Wm. Knowles, Pool's Hotel, Derby. Meet me at Burton station. Call for a parcel next train at the parcels office, Derby." Upon reading this telegram Inspector Foam took the next train to Burton-upon-Trent, and upon the arrival of the 445 train from Birmingham at that station, he saw a man get out of a carriage whom he at once suspected was Mr Mays. Fearn went to him and asked him if his name was Mays, and ho made no answer. Ho then told him he must apprehend him, as ho had a warrant against him for obtain ing silk by false pretences. On searching him he found the following telegram from Knowles : " Wm. Knowles, Derby, to Mr Mays, Telegraph Office, Birmingham. Have called at luggage department. There is no parcel gone from Thomson's. I have called upon Blood and Jepson. Jepson will forward 20 or 30 weight to London to-day. Inspector Fearn brought Maya on to Derby by the same train, and on going into the parcel office ho found that a parcel had come by the samo train from Birmingham, di rected to Knowles. On opening it he found that it contained half-a-crown, and the following letter:— "Birmingham, Dec. 6, 1864. "Mr Wm. Knowles,—l received your message. I have sent off a small parcel, which you will get by this. As I do intend going to London this evening, I want you to see that there is a parcel sent off before you do leave Derby this evening, that I may not be made a fool of again, and throw money away. 1 hen, as soon as you see the goods sent off from Derby, come down immediately to Burton station, as I shall most likely take you with me to London, and as I also wish to know your prospects in Derby. Do not fail to come down as soon as possible. " MAYS and Co." Inspector Fearn ascertained that " the firm" have had offices in Nottingham, but on the Saturday previous they had absconded, and their goods and chattels were in the hands of the police of that town. Maya had the following printed address card in his pocket :—" Mays and Co., silk dyers, High-street. Poplar, London." Knowles said he was a stockinger by trade, living at Nottingham, and had been engaged by Mays for the past fortnight. Mr Higginbottom gave evidence to the effect that the prisoners obtained from him 10 cwt. of silk under pretence of taking it to London and dying it by a new process, but they afterwards found out that the silk had been disposed of at Nottingham. Mr Hilton, head constable, asked for a remand for a week, which was granted. Great credit is due to Inspector Fearn and Detective Spibey for the speedy capture of these two "members of the Long SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. TIMES.—If the tenor of French political life be such as to make us doubt the accuracy of the Duke of Persigny's opinion that Napoleon 111. is the Founder of Liberty, yet there is much to favour the other boast of the Imperialists, that he has closed the period of revolutions. This much is certain— that revolutions have been made and French Sove reigns have been dethroned for violations of politi cal right which the public now sees with an indif ferent eye. Charles X. fell for threatening to treat the Press as the Imperial Executive has treated it for the last 10 years. Louis Philippe and the last scions of the Bourbon race were rejected because they were guilty in the popular judgment of inter fering with the right of free association for electoral purposes. Two old Kings, successively driven from an ancient and splendid throne, and retiring hastily into exile, not without fear of violence from an enraged populace, may be justly hold to give a warning to fature rulers. But at this moment their successor has no reason to take their example to heart. The amusements of Compeigue need not be interrupted for a moment by the cries of " Liberty" or the indignant protests of her most eloquent de fenders. As a violation of all that we understand by electoral freedom, in contempt for the most ordi nary rights of citizens, the attack on the meeting which was convened for promoting the return of the Liberal candidates for Paris and the prosecution of its members seem to go beyond anything that has ever been attempted by the French police. Tee details of that singular event must be in the memory of our readers. The house of an eminent citizen was invaded, the street in which he lived was filled with gendarmes, his guests were turned out of the house with ignominy, on the ground that in meeting they formed an illegal association forbidden by the law. Thirteen gentlemen were prosecuted for having been members of a society consisting of more than 20 persons. To make up the number of 21 neces• sary to satisfy the law it was pretended that there were others in league with them. They were con victed by the Tribunal of the First Instance, and some days since their appeal came on before the higher court. Yesterday the Court of Appeal gave judgment affirming the decision of the court below, and consequently declaring the view of the law taken by the police to be the true one. It is by this extraordinary decision that the relations between the Opposition candidates and those favoured by the Government will henceforth be regulated. In spite of all the eloquence of Berryer and Dufaure, Des.. merest and Fevre, a law of public meetings is de clared to exist in France which will not only make it impossible for'any candidate to organise an oppo sition against his Ministerial competitor, but almost forbids him to have any personal communication with the electors whose suffrages he seeks. The main point contended for by the advocates of the accused was that such meetings as that held in Paris could not have been contemplated by the framers of the law, inasmuch as the law only assumed a liberty which had never been questioned for 50 years, and was, moreover, necessary for the conduct of electoral affairs, since, if meetings of this kind were prohi bited, all political life must cease and universal suffrage, w i t h i ts a pparatus of di s t r i cts an d b a ll ot boxes, be merely an illusion for placing the nomi nees of power in legislative functions. The Pro.- cureur-General almost accepted this doctrine, and did not scruple to declare that electoral committees such as those which had existed under the Restora tion and the Orleans dynasty could not be suffered any longer. " So much the worse for the Govern ments which tolerated them," he is reported to have said ; " they were wrong ; they have fallen, and we do not wish to fall." This sentence expresses, no doubt, the intention of the Government ; it indicates the full importance of the Court's decision. This judgment will be received with such equa nimity by the French people that we feel, in speaking of the trial and the brilliant display of eloquence which took place, that we are merely discussing a performance which has no practical bear ing, and only serves to show the genius and opinions of a certain limited class of Frenchmen. M. Ber ryer, who defendei M. Fery, was th e mo s t f a mous advocate employed, and his speech was worthy of him. It is of no use to enter into the technical questions involved. When a barrister goes into court he must argue according to the existing law, however unjust and oppreseive ho may think it. The defenders of the Thirteen were obliged to take for granted the law of 1834 and the law of 1852, and to do their best to show that their clients did not come within tho scope of either, The law for bids public meetings without permission, but it could not, in the opinion of the defence, be held that a committee sitting to conduct the election of a friend was a public meeting within the moaning of the law, which was directed against assemblages calculated to disturb the public peace. Accordingly, M. Berryer protested against this attempt to turn an old law into a new use. If it was required to restrain the action of electoral committees, why was not a bill brought in? Plainly because it was sought to do by means of a legal decision what the Government had not dared to demand from the national Legislature. To show that the law did not appiy to such meetings as those at the house of M. Garnier Pages, which were " reunions," and not an associ Aim, M. Berryer recalled to the memory of the Court the history of the Peetoration and L mis Philippe's reign. Under 'these Governments, as well as under the Respublic of 1818, there were continually meetingsfir electoral purposes. " Need I inform you," he sass" that in Paris in 1848 and 1849 there was, amon 'sg other committees, a great committee called the Vnion, and at the same time there were Napoleoniala committees? I have some times chanced to see.'their numerous circulars." This home-thrust muat\have had its effect on the auditory, if not on the Court. M. Berryer con. eluded by appealing to the -usages of England. as those of a country where Parliamentary liberty was old and well-understood ; and ho anticipated the answer which is always made to these comparisons —that England is a country where the Throne is placed above the passions of parties or the attacks of sedition. The difference, he said, consists in this —that in France the Government considers as an enemy every one who does not blindly submit to it, and no one can express a desire without its assent. The speech of M. Dufaure was equally effective. In answer to the arguments that former Govern.. meats had been lenient and had fallen, he declared that, even if it were • so, there were others, the Convention and the Empire, which had fallen from opposite causes, and history would say whether there was not more honour in being overthrown through respect for the laws than through having outrageously violated them, The speech of M. Des merest, which followed, was in the same style. These eminent men, sheltered under that profes sional privilege which is the only strong protection now left in France, pleaded the causes of their clients and friends with a vigour of argum'ent and a breadth of view which the political importance of the case demanded. But their speeches are, to the minds of the French public, little more than the exercises of skilled and ingenious rhetoricians. If an election were to take place in Paris immediately they might have their effect, as the outrage on M. Gamier Page had its effect at the time. An Opposition candidate might be elected. But to stir up the French people to struggle against a decision which places every candidate at the mercy of the Govern ment, and makes the departmental elections almost a mockery, seems for the present hopeless. Yet we cannot believe that the Minister of the Interior will use the extraordinary powers with which this de cision invests him. To stretch his privileges too far may be to run the chance of losing them. The law which allows a Ministerial candidate to retain in his service all the officials of a department, from the Prefect downwards, but does not permit a party of friends to meet for the conduct of his opponent's election, is one which even in France must be judie ciously and sparingly put in force. POST.—The discussion about the Victoria, which is still kept up in certain quarters, is very like Henry IV.'s supper with Sully—"Poukts en ragout —poulets en hachis—poulets en fricassees"—al ways the same dish, though with a different sauce. 'When the Secretary of the Admiralty spoke out last Friday, and gave the reasons for the despatch of the Victoria to the Mediterranean, he gave what, to every im partial person capable of judging, was a very suffi cient reason. But there are persons in the world of a cross-grained nature to whom no reason ever ape pears satisfactory, and to whom every explanation, however frank and straightforward, suggests only a fresh objection. Hitherto the one point against the Victoria, incessantly insisted on usque ad nau seam to every sailor, has been that she was useless as a man-of-war. But now that Lord Clarence Paget has come forward and shown that such a ship, as a man-of-war in times of peace, is not only useful but highly serviceable to a fleet, the question is gravely asked, "If such a ship is useful, why don't you render her useless ?" and the country, we are told, would have no objection to pay for her without her guns, because with her guns she is an "extravagant specimen" of enormous cost. One moment's consideration will exhibit the very little worth or wisdom there is in this proposition. If you deprive a man-of-war of her guns, you deprive her of her great element of usefulness as a man-ote war, and you reduce her at once to the level of a hulk, The object of commissioning and sending to sea such a ship as the Victoria is to get together and drill into the perfect discipline of a man-of-war a large body of men, who if occasion should arise might be drafted off ready for work into ships of smaller complement and crews. There never has been any other class of ship, and never will be, in which you can keep together for any length of time in perfect health, and drill and discipline with such ease, comfort, and success a large body of men, as you can ou board that commodious class of ship known as the three decker. The ship after all is be , the road, as it were, but " not the pow er whic h nerves you to travel thereon." That lies as much l i g , the men as in the material—perhaps more; end a l though we are by no means advocates for pittieg the British bull dog against stonewalls or ir onsides, we still hold that the drill and discipline of a wooden° three decker is the beat that can be had. In tl ic , 8 o days, too, when fine seamanship is giving way `. pure gunnery, and it may be of less consequen! that a fore or maintopman knows how to haul en! the weather earin or tic a reef knot, t h a n the exec , : duties of each nu mber at a gun, yet the Kane r u ' holds good in gunnery as in work aloft,and the slid three decker of today possesses facilities fo r re P ta l drilling, disciplining, and training a large body men which are possessed by no other class of vesB 74 in the service. Can a ship of any class, deprived her guns, be expected to turn out good gun's crews; We arc not arguing in favour of wooden ship. a s against ironclads for purposes of war. That 18 ,_ question of war which has nothing to do with tu! point at issue. The question now is simply wh at cite : of vessel during the reconstruction of our fleet e ll ! most conveniently, and, at the least expense, dr." and discipline a large body of men ? The necessgt of a reserve force of trained men on the spot is 11° A denied to the Mediterranean fleet, but the meth(); of training them is objected to, and the met ho d !! training tnem is objected to, and, by way of imer° Y :e ing their e ffi ciency, it is proposed to abolish theoli means of training by depriving the reserve ehiP, her guns, or, that more ironclads should be c omet sioned. But more ironclads are not wanted in CO ni ,.; mission ; and, moreover, the ironclads as yet a"1, notoriously defective in ventilation ; half the 0 0 of the Royal Oak is now in hospital at Malta frote this cause, yet this is the class of ship which le g o ry, commissioned as a reserve ship, or, if a healthy, erif; roomy three-decker is commissioned, s he is to turned into a receiving-hulk to hol d the men , bil ge not to drill them. Certainly, to argue that bees% a ship like the Victoria absorbs the crews of a collP` d of unnecessary ironclads, she should be dismantit and urned into a hulk, and her crew kept in iu' e t ness, or commissioned into ironclads which are ou r wanted on active service, is arguing either in in to of ine ffi ciency or of expense. The coat of a w n( nd ship is a comparative trifle compared with the en% mous cost of these ironclads. We are quite 5 0 ,`, 6 that a man may learn his gun drill on board t oo Excellent at Portsmouth with as much facility ell ° „ hoard the Vietoria in the Mediterranean. and, p r o s vided he can be taken on board, at less cost to tm s country; hut, allowing that room could be found ° be board the Excellent for the whole present crew of t d Victoria, which is taking a vast deal for grant e e : that would not dispense with the necessity for . 1 0 serve ship of sonic sort in the Mediterranean, and, i s t reserve ship at all, why not a thoroughly adc' e l e one ? But there is another point connected All home service which must not be lost sight of. experience teaches, and recent experience coeflfo the fact, that there is something in continued 10 '0 service not quite agreeable to strict disciplin e r a io something or other which it is found a 0 1 '4 period of service in blue water only and effectua be removes. But apart from all these points, it Ie b e t wants of the country in the management of ry naval affairs which have to be considered by e/e t es Government, and not this or that opinion. 'Who' tl, country wants, and what is necessary. the Geleja,c; ment have done and are doing, We want pen ' ) preparation, not extravagant display, A n3oders squadron of ironclads afloat, and a powerful fleet in reserve and building, with sufficient 8 0 , 0 • afloat and in reserve, is what Government ha s p vided, and to blame the Admiralty for the m e ss which they utilise in time of peace, because tkei;io not exactly the means which would be adop ts u time of war, is puerile and absurd. COUNTRY MARKETS. NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE—TUESDAY. 14 of At our market to-day thera was a very good suPP;ters English wheat, which sold slowly at about previous r Spa Barley for malting moved off freely, at is less mone9,tob grinding sorts sold with difficulty. Malt inclined oi lower, with a modernte demand. Beans is cheaperfo o peas unchanged. Oats in better demand. Flour d u ' slightly lower quotations. 1119 Averages Wheats, 38s Od—barley, 21s Od —bes —s Od—oats, 24s Od—peas, —s Od. MONMOUTH.—TUESDAY. ho 1! The weather has been remarkably mild during t." - t V few dam and the farmers are beginning to complalt i the young wheat requires a little frost. The local 1 1 10 have been moderately attended by both buyers and se°,lols and there has been rather a slow business doing. R 3 07 . 04 wheat commands a better sale than foreign. and rates are maintained, although not without some dipieolo Barley was in average request. Oats and beans Were The average quotations are as follows : „ Wheat, white 5s 3d to 5s 8d I 8ar1ey,..... 3s 2,c1 to 0 5 ,. Ditto red.....0s Od to Os Od f Oats ..... 2s 3d to 3' HULL—TUESDAY. del la Since our last a tolerably good business has Len t o" in the corn trade, and th e t ransac ti ons re p or ted in -001:, show no improvement in En g li s h, while foreign 1 306 bir mended more attention. Choice old Dant zic, 465; fi ne r mixed, 44s ; mixed, 393 to 42s ; red, 36s to 39s,P",iisk At our market to-day there was a fair supply of Plirje wheat, which met a rather slow sale at the prices I 4 week. Foreign wheat more active, at former priceStriei barley a tolerable sale, with little change in prices. oats le lower. Beans and peas as of late. —TUESDAY. k t A fair attendance of LYNN the trade at our corn a ge 6 ioh so . 800 day, and the supply of wheat was moderate, whio-, , A fully last week's rates. Good malting runs of ba r l o ' steadily at about termer vaittos, Grinding surf 6`.° at scarcely so much money. Beans and oats firm. to g White wheat 41s to 42s I Barley 33 EI 30) It4d .. 280 0 0, ••n1 a to a Beans •.34s to 36s I Oats .. .. 4.1 ' .'' ... ..... 0 to 01d... 36s to 38s I Peas MARKET HARBOROUGH—TuEsDAY• 4 1 - White wheat, 41s to 45s ; red; 38s to 42s per 38 '2, „,, u„ Malting barley at 31s to 33s per qr.; grinding, per per 30 at. Oats, old, 26s to 28s • newc.'" 23a to 2 at. ; beans, 36s td 42s per qr. .ItKET. the close of the moot. Walls_ Bud' 9. r 0 ,2 3 5 lietton Ileugh Hall ......... $ East Hartlepool ..... $ South Kelloe ...... $ Wharncliffe ........ ‘‘2 l Gosforth ...........2,3 j ;a5w011........... $ Tunstall ; Kenos • .et, 35 ; sold, 32, COAL M Moos of Coal per Ton iil s. d. Cowpen Hartley 19 0 Holywell l9 0 Walker Primrose 16 - 9 West Hartley lB 9 Panfleld Moor 18 3 WVylam 19 0 Walls End. South lletton ...23 0 Byron ..21 6 Ships at markf Foreign Mail Packet List. MAILS;DUE. .De e 'l3 , Australia and Mauritius, via Southampton.... • we . 45, via Marseilles;....... •' Brazil and Cape Yards, by British packet. ...... ..peo• l 9, Cape of Good Hope, Ascension, and St. Helena• .De o., . 5, China, Penang, and Singapore, via Soutbanapt o73 flo o.' via Marseilles .• • - . • / 1 ' Falkland Islands Gibraltar, via Southampton ...... „e0..4, India (Calcutta), and Ceylon, via Southampton. .. e , r i ,, via Marseilles.. • ..-,'-', BO , , 6 India (Bombay), via Southampton ............. "lye , 4, via Marseilles ....... ~,o . ; Portugal.... Malta, Egypt, and Aden, via Southampton ...... pee. v , via Marseilles ........ pee. Newfoundland . ' #, Oporto and Vigo ...................... .i U. S. and British N. America, by Brit. packet.. • • -1 " ,ti by U.S. packet .• • •pec. ii, by Canadian pa° De • get. c. 11' W.C. of Africa, Madeira, and Tcneriffe .......... pee. 0 , West Indies and Pacific , ....... • . ye 0 , , Bahamas (via New York) ..................... .1)0 , ;79' Bermuda (ditto) ............................ • peo Cuba and Mexico ifi e° IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.—VaIuabIe lead„Pfillse have just been discovered in the mountains of tbe,..fds of Munster (Prussi a ). The Boerse t al t alk of lia rnlP— O F that the ore is so abundant and so rich that it 0 111(1 for the supply of all Europe. teff Bixths. ei bVp BUSHNELL,—On the sth inst., at Heathfield, f p - x"' Isle of Wight, the wife of Commander Buahn of a daughter. ~, Vi n t FRANKLAND.-011 the sth inst a t Med vi t' Chatham, the wife of Captain " Frankla nd, daughter. tt he NOEL.—On the sth inst., at 12, Onslovr-crescell of the Hon. Roden Noel, of a daughter. Marriages. t Col e pail STEERENSON..-BOLIVERIE.—On the 6th itiot.l. s L t ° Berkshire, Augustus F. W. Kennel Step-0600j ot the Inner Temple, E ." s tep- to glautine, sec the Right Hon. Edward P. - Bouverie 5 ;fl t 0 4 ' WEBSTER—ALCOCK.— On the Ist ins:, at Dublin, Robert Charles Webster, Esq . . of `!`",, oltt Ruabon, North . Wales, to Dorothea Ly ' s.,n of Major Alcock, of Richmond House, N 1 et' Deaths. g NV 1 1 4 0 4 KENDALL.--otl 'the 6th inst., at The 11°Ilie etl't - i tree, near Liverpool, Thomas Kend al ' 0 31, Opt a : it MERRY On the 7th inst. , Thomas M6rrY: j u ," - .,,:011 4 14, H — ighbury New-park, and 139, Felleu- el '3O O London, aged 55. SEi , r rs o . N s .— eat O o n n, t a h g e ed 6 B th 2. inst., at Rocky - -I ' 0 1 ' v 4 -11 / ` t Ad 511 :3, stree t ' A VILIINTINE.On the sth inst., at 6, li'g -.- 009" ditch, Mr. J. H. Valentine, aged 5 5 . : ffto l3) WILLIAMS.—On the 7th inst.. at Stoke Drewg . ' A Williams, Esq ., late of the Poultry, age d ". ______ o p .. I I London : I'rtraed and Prbiished by Viralit it talOo 1: 0. Cotl of No. 112, Strand, Printer , at Tptr , 5Y° t o V' Strand, in the Precinct of the SsvoY• )11 Aliddlesez. 7 -Thurgday, Deouter 9, 1181' a